Those were the words Rabbi Chaim Lipskier read from the Torah as solemn Knights stood around UCF's Reflecting Pond, their lit candles mirrored in the dark water.

Crowds of students stood at the heart of campus, nestled between the golden light of Millican Hall and the vibrant stained glass of the John C. Hitt Library Wednesday night to honor fallen Knight Steven Joel Sotloff.

On Sept. 2, only weeks after he first appeared in a video released by the extremist group ISIS showing the beheading of American journalist James Foley, Sotloff met the same fate.

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The candlelight vigil, which was organized by UCF's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, campus organization The Gauntlet and UCF's Syrian American Council, sought to not only remember the former UCF student, but celebrate his "courage and curiosity," as journalism professor Richard Brunson said.

Friend and former rugby teammate Chris Nault described Sotloff as "an all-around great guy chasing his dream." Sotloff was serving as a freelance journalist in the Middle East and previously worked at the Central Florida Future as a senior staff writer.

"We're hoping people will [remember him] for what he did in his life, instead of focusing on how he died," said Melissa Catalanotto, president of SPJ and a senior journalism major at UCF.

Members of UCF's Syrian American Council also spoke at and attended the event, including Hiba Shaban, a senior biomedical major.

As a Syrian American, she said she's known about the evils of ISIS for the past two years and hopes President Barack Obama will lend the country's support to moderate rebels to prevent another American tragedy.

While the reactions varied from person to person — tears, nausea and utter shock — Rabbi Lipskier and UCF spokesman Grant Heston spoke of one point of The UCF Creed: community.

Although Sotloff attended UCF more than 12 years ago, the bond of Knighthood runs deep.